Winter Park is the ski resort Denver thinks of as its own, and it is easy to see why. It is close to the city, it gets plenty of snow, and it has more variety than most resorts twice its size. For British visitors it also has one trick nobody else in Colorado can match: you can get there by train.
Winter Park at a glance
- Location: Grand County, about 67 miles from Denver
- Terrain: More than 3,000 acres across seven territories
- Best for: Variety, families, bumps at Mary Jane, car-free travel by train
- Lift passes: Ikon Pass
- 2026/27 season: Opening as soon as conditions allow; 8am weekend lifts from 5 December
- Nearest airport: Denver International, around two hours
What’s New for 2026/27
This winter Winter Park is adding an extra hour of skiing at weekends. From 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, lifts will open at 8am every Saturday and Sunday, conditions permitting. That is a useful head start on the busiest days of the week, and a good reason to be on the first train or out of the door early.
The resort has not set a fixed opening day and plans to open as soon as conditions allow. Heavy investment in snowmaking, around $37 million over recent seasons, means that is often late October or early November. Last season it opened on 31 October, equalling its earliest start ever.
The Skiing
Winter Park has more than 3,000 acres, split into seven territories, and each has a very different feel. The Winter Park side is good for families and intermediates, with long, well-groomed cruisers. Mary Jane, next door, celebrated its 50th birthday last winter and is where the bumps live, and plenty of Colorado skiers would tell you it has the best mogul skiing in the state. Beyond that, the Cirque, Vasquez Ridge, Eagle Wind and Parsenn Bowl add steep chutes, tree skiing and wide open above-the-trees terrain, so there is plenty to keep expert skiers busy for a week.
Winter Park is a good place to learn, too, with plenty of gentle terrain and a strong reputation for teaching children. It is also home to the National Sports Center for the Disabled, one of the largest adaptive ski programmes in the world.
The Winter Park Express
The Winter Park Express ski train runs from Denver Union Station to a stop right at the base of the resort, a short walk from the lifts. The journey takes about two hours through the Front Range and the historic Moffat Tunnel, and it is one of the most relaxing ways to reach a ski resort anywhere in North America. The service was expanded to four days a week last winter, so check the Amtrak timetable and book early for weekends.
Lift Passes
Winter Park is on the Ikon Pass, and how many days you get depends on the pass you choose. Our Ikon Pass 2026/27 guide explains which pass suits which kind of skier.
Granby Ranch
Just down the valley, the small, family-friendly Granby Ranch ski area has added a new intermediate zone on West Mountain. Its $2 Granby Connect shuttle links the Amtrak station in Granby to the base lodge, so it is easy to reach without a car and makes a good-value extra day.
Getting There
By road, Winter Park is around 67 miles from Denver, via I-70 and Berthoud Pass, and about 90 minutes from the city in good conditions. Denver International Airport is around two hours away.
For more information visit winterparkresort.com.
Winter Park: Your Questions Answered
Can you get to Winter Park by train?
Yes. The Winter Park Express runs from Denver Union Station to the base of the resort in about two hours.
Is Winter Park good for beginners?
Yes. Winter Park has plenty of gentle terrain and a strong reputation for teaching children, while Mary Jane next door caters for experts.
Is Winter Park on the Ikon Pass?
Yes. Winter Park is on the Ikon Pass, with the number of days depending on which pass you choose.
Colorado ski road trip
We arrived at Winter Park in a snowstorm and were skiing before we had properly checked in.